Intel Core i9-7980XE vs AMD Ryzen 7 3700X

Processor comparisons   17-03-2021
   For example you have difficulties with the choice of a CPU, you will solve them by reading the detailed tests Intel Core i9-7980XE vs AMD Ryzen 7 3700X and decide which is better for games or normal use for streaming, programming, rendering, machine learning, video editing. Here is all information from various benchmarks or real streaming and video editing tests. A careful review of all the specifications, so that it can be easier to read, is made by the table.
   From the video comparison, you can get the results of joint testing in special testing software such as Dolphin Emulator, Prime95, Handbrake, UserBenchmark, SuperPi, PCMark 10, Furmark, 3DMark, Cinebench 23 (20, 15), Blender, 7zip, GeekBench 6, 5.2, WPrime, VeraCrypt, PassMark, RealBench, DaVinci Resolve Studio, World of Tanks enCore Benchmark, Gears 5, MATLAB, AIDA64, Blender.
   And how good the CPUs are in games:

Fortnite
Cyberpunk 2077
Halo Infinite
Assassin's Creed Valhalla
Watch Dogs Legion
Red Dead Redemption 2
Rainbow Six Siege
Last Man Standing
Death Stranding
Overwatch
Apex Legends
Valorant
Grand Theft Auto V
Valheim
Fallout 76
World of Warcraft: Shadowlands
DOOM: Eternal
Call of Duty: Modern Warfare and Warzone
Borderlands 3

After looking at the data of all benchmarks and videos, you already be able to understand which CPU is better to buy for gaming AMD Ryzen 7 3700X or Intel Core i9-7980XE.

Summary benchmark results

As a percentage of the maximum value based on a sample from the entire base of all processors
Processor Benchmark

Core i9-7980XE

58%

Ryzen 7 3700X

56%

The number of this parameter shows the performance of the processors in single-threaded and multi-threaded mode. In this comparison, Core i9-7980XE is 3% better than Ryzen 7 3700X. The data source is several popular tests. Detailed information can be found below.

Gaming performance
Summary result of all game benchmarks.

Core i9-7980XE

60%

Ryzen 7 3700X

55%

The maximum result in this parameter is 100 percent, which is the performance of the most powerful processor currently available. And it is clear that this is a server processor, on which no one will run games. Because the cost of this processor reaches several tens of thousands of dollars. Therefore, if you think that the selected CPU has a small game result, just look at the FPS that it produces in real games in the summary table below.
List of less popular games in which processors were compared: Shadow of the Tomb Raider, Forza Horizon 4, Half-Life: Alyx, Resident Evil 7 Biohazard, Hitman 3, Battlefield V, DOTA 2A, NBA 2K20, Ghostrunner, The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt, Monster Hunter World, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), Control, Counter-Strike: Global Offensive (CS GO), League of Legends (LOL), Metro Exodus, Microsoft Flight Simulator, Horizon Zero Dawn.

Gaming benchmark

Fortnite	107.0	97.2
Valorant	121.6	110.5
Cyberpunk 2077	68.1	61.9
Apex Legends	114.3	103.8
Call of Duty Warzone	91.2	82.8
Overwatch	98.5	89.5
Red Dead Redemption 2	83.9	76.2
DOOM Eternal	60.8	55.2
Warzone	94.9	86.2
Assassin's Creed	102.2	92.8
Valheim	100.9	91.7

The numbers in this table indicate the maximum FPS that was received on the device with the corresponding processor. Depending on the configuration of the computer (RAM size and Video Card) and graphics quality settings (Ultra, Medium, Normal), the results may differ quite significantly. We recommend that you better study the results of the Cinebench, GeekBench and Passmark becnmarks.
The computers that were in the comparisons not only did they have different video cards and different amounts of RAM. But users also tested them at different screen resolutions: 4K, 2K or FullHD. So the game benchmark data is approximate. But all video cards met the average system requirements of games. To be sure exactly how much performance the processor will be in games, if you get acquainted with the benchmarks that are made with the same video card that is installed in your computer.

Power consumption

Core i9-7980XE

23%

Ryzen 7 3700X

68%

To make a finishing choice on which processor is better, you should also consider the generation of its core. The newer the processor generation, the better its performance in games and benchmarks, as well as its energy efficiency. In this case the Ryzen 7 3700X is more energy efficient than the Core i9-7980XE since it has less power consumption: 165W vs. 65W. Power consumption is especially important for laptops. And TDP should be taken into account when choosing a processor cooling system. It is necessary to calculate so that the TDP data specified in the cooler specification is greater than the TDP of the compared processor.

Software benchmarks

Let's say you plan to use the processor not only for gaming, but also for video rendering or video editing, machine learning, streaming, programming, then first of all you need to pay attention to the performance in multi-threaded mode. In this mode, the processor turns on all cores and threads that it has to the maximum to achieve maximum performance. You will find out this data from the benchmark tables below. Before using the data from these tests, be sure to find out whether the software that you are going to use on your computer can work in multi-threaded mode. Since there are still many programs that can use only one core to work, and all the benefit of multi-core mode turns out to be unnecessary.
Cinebench 23, 20 an 15
The results of this benchmark show Single-threaded and Multi-threaded CPU performance

	Intel Core i9-7980XE	AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
Cinbench 15 Single-core	184	204
Cinbench 15 Multi-core	3455	2114
Cinbench 20 Single-core	446	501
Cinbench 20 Multi-core	7671	4834
Cinbench 23 Single-core	1281	1294
Cinbench 23 Multi-core	28196	12355

Passmark
This popular benchmark displays Multi-threaded and Single-threaded processor performance

	Intel Core i9-7980XE	AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
Single-Core	2490	2716
Multi-Core	29612	22880

GeekBench 6, 5.2
This benchmark shows Multi-threaded and Single-threaded processor performance

	Intel Core i9-7980XE	AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
Single-Core	1158	1339
Multi-Core	18658	9023

Comparison of specifications

In the specification comparison table, the most useful will be the release date of the processor and the possibility of overclocking it. The newer the processor, the longer it will last in your computer. And the easier it will be to upgrade the system later. The same can be said about overclocking. If the processor can be overclocked, increasing its performance, then it will still be able to produce maximum FPS in the newest games. The savings are obvious! Accordingly, there is no longer a need to buy a new CPU to enjoy the games any longer.

	Intel Core i9-7980XE	AMD Ryzen 7 3700X
Announcement date	April 01, 2017	July 07, 2019
Type	Desktop	Desktop
Socket	FCLGA2066	AM4
Core name	Skylake	Matisse
Architecture	x86	Zen 2
Generation	9	3
Turbo Frequency	4.2 MHz	4.4 MHz
Frequency	2.6 MHz	3.6 MHz
Cores	18	8
Threads	36	16
Bus rate	8 GT/s
Bit	64	64
Lithography	14 nm	7 nm
Transistors count	7800 millions	4600 millions
Power consumption (TDP)	165 W	65 W
Memory type	DDR4-2666	DDR4
Max. Memory	128 Gb
Memory Frequency		3200
Memory bandwidth	85 GB/s
L1 cache		512KB
L2 cache		4MB
L3 cache	24.75 MB	32MB
Overclocking	Yes	Yes
Supports ECC	No	No
Part number		100-000000071 100-100000071BOX 100-100000071MPK

In this comparison block, you should pay attention to the differences in clock speed and the number of cores. Here Ryzen 7 3700X is 27% better than Core i9-7980XE in terms of CPU frequency. Another difference is that Core i9-7980XE has 10 more core than Ryzen 7 3700X. Also keep in mind that high CPU frequency affects battery life through power consumption (relevant for laptops).

Result:
The number of parameters for which Intel Core i9-7980XE is better: 23
The number of parameters for which AMD Ryzen 7 3700X is better: 14
Although it should be understood that all the figures that you have looked at here do not mean that taking them into account you should undividedly trust a simple quantitative comparison. Better to watch the testing video and read the reviews of real owners of Intel Core i9-7980XE and AMD Ryzen 7 3700X before making a choice which processor to buy for gaming and which not.

• Intel Core i9-7980XE specs and review.

• AMD Ryzen 7 3700X specs and review.